Author's Note: Here's a new chapter for ya'll! Thanks for your continued support and I hope you enjoy it~

To Wishfull-star: Lots of fun alliances happening as we get ready for the big rescue mission XD I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

To 94Insane: Lol, you're not wrong XD Luffy is adorable and everyone knows it! I hope you enjoy the update!

WARNINGS:

- Vampire hypnotism

- Preparing for the big fight ;)

Law stood with back straight and arms crossed elegantly in front of him as he watched his uncle engage in small talk with the Eastern Elder, King. They were lounging in the living room, high up in their blood house, the very same place he'd brought Luffy that stormy night. The main difference between now and then, of course, was the tension. Despite how calm and collected Doflamingo appeared, Law knew how much effort had gone into preparing for this meeting. They'd had their clothes pressed, cleaned the entire blood house, and gone through every document, searching for errors that would be displeasing to the Elder.

Not that Law was all that worried. Despite his uncle's flaws, the man generally upheld the rules and kept immaculate records. Unlike other Lords, Doflamingo knew the value of human life.

Only fools culled their food source without a second thought.

"I must say…I am impressed." King said while placing his porcelain teacup down on the table in front of him. Doflamingo sat across from him with Cora at his side. Thankfully, the clumsy man had yet to fall or break something. "There are very few cities that can claim San Faldo's efficiency and level of restraint."

"I am honored by your praise." His uncle replied with a flourish of his hand, bowing at the waist. Law resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the ridiculous flamboyance, but knew such actions were not at all appropriate.

"I would like to hear more about your processes and how you ensure the loyalty of smaller covens."

Doflamingo's smirk widened.

"Of course."

Law tuned out their discussion and found himself gazing out the large window to his right. The stars were out and, by all accounts, it was a beautiful evening. He wished more than anything that he could be excused to go bask in the darkness but knew that would be impossible without some sort of emergency. Doflamingo took Elder inspections very seriously.

Just as that thought entered his mind, someone knocked on the door.

Law looked up in surprise when Vergo entered with phone in hand and his eyes quickly moved back to his uncle. As expected, Doflamingo looked very displeased at the interruption but still managed to keep a casual grin on his face.

"…I believe I said no interruptions?"

Vergo bowed deeply in way of an apology before speaking.

"Forgive me, Young Master, but it's urgent. Whitebeard's beta is on the line."

"Marco-ya?" Law put in, suddenly very curious. Lycans typically didn't contact them unless something was amiss. Had something happened? Though he intended to say more, Cora motioned for him to be quiet while his uncle reluctantly took the phone. The Elder didn't seem offended and motioned for them to continue.

"How can I help you this lovely evening?" Doflamingo said, obviously annoyed but still trying to keep up appearances. Law strained his ears but couldn't quite hear what Marco said. They all watched in curious silence as Doflamingo listened to the lycan talk and slowly, the Lord's manic grin faded into one of surprise…and then intrigue.

"Oh ho…now that is an amusing request." Law tried to lean in closer, but his uncle waved him away. "This morning, you say? Yes, I believe we can manage that. I honestly never imagined Newgate could be so bold!"

"Doffy, what is it?" Cora whispered, obviously just as curious as Law. Doflamingo sent him a look that said 'give me a minute' before continuing his conversation with Marco.

"Well, I won't pry. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." His Uncle suddenly stood to his feet, pink coat billowing behind him, "I look forward to seeing what your pack is capable of."

With that, Doflamingo ended the call and immediately bowed to the Elder.

"My apologies, but I'm afraid something has come up. I humbly request that we postpone the remainder of the inspection." King hummed and simply eyed the vampire with interest.

"Is that so?"

"D-Doffy, what on earth is so important?" Cora whispered, now on his feet as well. The Lord smirked and chuckled softly.

"It seems that Whitebeard is leading an alliance of packs against that bastard Akainu in just a few hours. He's requested we evacuate any uninvolved humans in the area to give them room to work."

"A Humming then…" Law's father muttered, bringing a hand to his chin in thought, "This is serious. Whitebeard would never assault the Shikari's Headquarters without good reason."

"He hasn't given us long, so let's get to work." Doflamingo added while turning to Law, "Contact all of our subordinate covens and let them know the situation. I want all Lords to gather to me as soon as possible!"

Law nodded, excitement bubbling up into his chest. With one last bow to the Elder, he rushed to the elevator with phone in hand.

He couldn't wait to see how things played out.

It took longer than expected to begin the journey back to San Faldo. By the time everyone was ready to leave, the sun had already set. Despite the darkness, Ace sent a soft glance to Luffy who sat between him and Sabo in the back of Marco's car. The pup looked tired but resisted sleep so far, saying he wanted to 'catch up'.

It really hadn't been that long since his kidnapping, but they indulged him, nonetheless.

"So the Happy Rabbit isn't fixed yet?" Luffy asked curiously, making Sabo huff.

"Sadly, no. There was quite a lot of damage so it'll take time."

Luffy's ears drooped slightly.

"…sorry. I feel like it's my fault."

"No, no, it's not." Sabo quickly put in, "Shanks is fully to blame for that, and it sounds like he's going to pay for the repairs, so don't even worry about it. We're just glad you're safe."

Ace bristled at the mention of Luffy's sire but forced any lingering anger down. Though he wasn't particularly pleased with their 'alliance', if it was what Luffy wanted, he would put up with the Alpha. Even Whitebeard, surprisingly enough, was supportive of having the red-haired lycan accompany them and seemed to think it was a good idea.

'This didn't turn out at all how I thought it would.' He thought, picturing the heroic image of him and Sabo rushing in to rescue Luffy from Shanks' evil clutches. Ace supposed that, realistically, it was a good thing they'd managed to negotiate instead of fight, but a part of him was still disappointed.

"Anyway, we were going to ask…" Sabo continued, motioning towards Luffy's now bare arms, "What happened to all the fur that was here?" Ace leaned in to hear the teen's answer, just as curious as his brother. Even Marco, who's eyes were on the road, glanced up in the rearview mirror at Sabo's question.

Luffy just grinned.

"Oh, it went away! I guess being around Shanks helped me transform on my own, and once I did it a couple times, the fur disappeared! At least, that's what Benn and Makino told me."

"Ah…I see."

As if sensing his doubt, Marco chose that moment to chime in.

"That's what I figured, yoi. As your sire, Shanks has a 'special connection' to your wolf side. Unfortunately, even if we were to spend the same amount of time and effort teaching you, it wouldn't be half as effective."

"That sucks." Ace muttered, prompting Marco to sigh and return his gaze to the road.

"It is what it is. We should be grateful Shanks saw the error in his ways and didn't try to keep Luffy against his will, yoi."

With that, the lycans fell silent and Luffy turned his gaze downward, towards his hands. To Ace, he didn't seem angry at Shanks, but Marco's statement did appear to affect him. He couldn't help but wonder what went on between the two of them during his days of captivity. Of course, Ace knew better than to pry. Luffy had been through enough already.

"What're we going to do once we get back to town?" Sabo asked, changing the subject gracefully.

"We'll assemble our forces and wait for now, yoi." Marco answered, "Thanks to Mihawk's information, we know that it will be easier to get to Dragon once he's actually in the court room. He'll let us know when the time is right to attack."

"So everything hinges on a Shikari's cooperation?"

"…I suppose so, yoi. To a point." Marco continued, "Regardless, we know what time the trial is set for, so if all else fails, we'll just interrupt it as aggressively as possible at Pops' command."

Ace snorted at that, enjoying the mental picture of frazzled Shikari.

"Sounds good to me."

His attention was drawn to his left when Luffy suddenly tugged meekly on his sleeve. The pup looked worried.

"…so…we're really going to save him? H-He's not going to get killed?"

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Ace said while squeezing Luffy's shoulder firmly, "We'll get him out even if we have to burn the whole damn building down."

"Really?" Luffy muttered with eyes big and full of hope, prompting Ace to smile.

"Yeah. We've got a ton of lycans and even vampires helping us out. We've got this!" His reply seemed to calm Luffy and he settled back against the seat with a sigh of relief. Ace released his shoulder and turned to looked out the window. "For now, get some rest. How long do we have, Marco?"

"Hmmm…over an hour still, yoi."

"Great, would you mind waking us up when we get there?" Ace asked while resting his head on his arm and closing his eyes. Marco chuckled.

"You got it, yoi."

It was odd to be back in San Faldo so soon, at least for Shanks. He hadn't expected to return so quickly after finally retrieving Luffy. With a sigh, he stepped out of the vehicle and gazed up at Whitebeard's pack house. Despite the darkness, it was lit up with activity and he could see lycans rushing about inside.

Preparing for the attack, no doubt.

Shanks hadn't brought many men with him, just his commanders. Whitebeard still seemed suspicious of him so he'd 'requested' he leave most of his men behind. There was one person, however, who'd insisted on coming against his wishes.

"Miss Makino, please take my hand." Hongo said while helping Shanks' wife out of the car. She thanked him quietly before smoothing out her dress and standing up tall. He'd tried to convince her to stay, but she simply wouldn't hear of it.

"I want to hear what Dragon has to say just as much as you! I'm coming, and that's final."

He couldn't bring himself to argue with that and had acquiesced to her demand. Thankfully, she had agreed to at least remain out of harm's way in Whitebeard's pack house during the battle. Marco and the others seemed confident that she would be safe, but Shanks still intended to leave one of his men with her as a precaution.

"That was a long drive…are you feeling okay?" Shanks asked his wife in a worried tone. She just smiled at him and nodded.

"I'm fine. To be honest, it feels good to have a change in scenery. It feels like ages since I've left Walden."

"I suppose it has been a while…" He answered, taking a moment to squeeze her hand tightly. Shanks knew that was mostly his fault. After she'd been injured so severely, he'd sheltered her to the point of isolation. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't." Makino interrupted, sending him a look, "We're looking forward now, remember? We're here and trying to change…so keep your eyes on the future." Shanks couldn't help but smile at that.

"Yes, ma'am."

Shanks allowed his men to lead Makino inside while he stayed back and observed the other cars. He quickly picked out Luffy from the crowd. The two young lycans, Ace and Sabo, hovered around him like protective parents and ushered him inside before he could even approach them. Somewhat hurt, Shanks made to follow after them but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Could I have a moment of your time?"

Shanks glanced behind him and was met by a pair of golden eyes. Mihawk's gaze moved to the door where Luffy and the others had already disappeared.

"Zoro, go find Luffy."

The Shikari's son was standing just behind his father and looked surprised.

"What? You want me to go in there by myself?"

"You'll be fine. I'll come get you shortly."

The human didn't seem convinced, but did eventually follow Mihawk's instructions. Soon it was just the two of them. Shanks turned to face the Shikari who'd crossed his arms and looked curious more than anything else.

"…how long has it been?"

"Years." Shanks answered, thinking back to how they'd often clash in their youth. He recalled feeling disappointed when his 'rival' decided to pursue a specialty in vampires. He'd greatly enjoyed their battles. "I didn't realize you'd married."

"I was married." Mihawk clarified with a huff, "Not anymore. It's just me, Zoro, and my daughter, Perona. They're a handful."

"My apologies, I wasn't aware-"

Mihawk stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"It's fine, ancient history. Besides, I didn't stop you to talk about me. It sounds like you've been rather active these last few years."

Shanks sighed and averted his gaze from Mihawk's.

"No offense, but I really don't want to talk about it right now."

"Don't misunderstand, Shanks." Mihawk continued, shifting his weight slightly, "I just wanted to speak with you as an old friend." Shanks looked up in surprise and found the Shikari with an unfamiliar, soft expression on his face.

"Making amends is not a short or easy process Stay the course, you're doing the right thing."

"…even with Dragon?"

"Especially Dragon." Mihawk shot back, "Regardless of what he says, it is important to Luffy so it should be important to you. Though, personally, I think you'll be surprised by what Dragon says."

Shanks frowned when the Shikari began to walk towards the door of the pack house and reached out to stop him.

"What do you mean?"

"I've known Dragon a long time and I find it hard to believe he's the kind of man you seem to think he is." Mihawk stated firmly, "I have no proof other than my long-standing friendship with him, but…perhaps there is something else at work here."

"Like what?"

Mihawk shrugged and resumed walking.

"I have my theories, but I won't bore you with them. Discover the truth for yourself. I'm told it can be very liberating."

Shanks sent Mihawk's back an annoyed look but couldn't help the amused chuckle from coming out. The Shikari hadn't changed a bit since they'd last interacted. He was still just as serious with that often flat, dark sense of humor. The nostalgia of their conversation honestly made him feel a bit more relaxed.

'…Theories, huh?' Shanks mused, smile vanishing as he thought about Mihawk's words. What would they discover at the Shikari Headquarters?

Hopefully, the truth.

Early the next morning…

Doflamingo inhaled long and deep, enjoying the crisp morning air. He stood on the roof of a bank just across the street from the Shikari's Headquarters and smirked down at the small forms of Shikari going about their business. So far, none of them seemed to have noticed the subtle invasion of cloaked vampires into their territory.

It hadn't taken long to recruit the aid of all the minor covens in San Faldo and most were already in position. He'd sent them into the streets, businesses, rooftops, and everywhere in between. Some were even disguised as construction workers and were already blocking off access to the soon to be battlefield.

Everything was going according to plan.

"Would you like any assistance?"

Doflamingo glanced over his shoulder to where King stood, looking serious and menacing yet also extremely curious. He had no doubt that this was the most excitement the Elder had had on his auditing journey.

"Thank you for the offer, but I must decline. I couldn't possibly ask someone of your standing to involve yourself in our internal affairs." King raised an eyebrow.

"You don't seem too concerned about the fact that you're assisting with an invasion of the largest Shikari base in the city…under the sun, when we're at our weakest."

Doflamingo cackled softly and turned to face the building in question again.

"The lycans of San Faldo are strong. I have no doubt they'll command the Shikari's attention and draw it away from us. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the tyrant Akainu was targeted. I am simply pleased to be along for the ride." His attention was drawn away from the Elder when one of his men leapt nimbly onto the roof and knelt before him.

"We're ready, my Lord."

"Good." He smirked and jumped up onto the thin railing of the roof and raised both his hands up into the air, stopping at his shoulders. "Then…shall we begin?"

Luffy swallowed nervously as he followed the lycans towards the Shikari Headquarters. Though he didn't see all of them, he knew that a great number of wolves were currently converging on the building in question under Whitebeard's leadership. The old lycan had apparently sent out a call for assistance and more packs had responded than they'd anticipated.

Even Jaggy and his men would be helping out. He couldn't believe so many lycans were willing to participate in his Dad's rescue! Of course, Ace and Sabo had pointed out that most of them weren't aware of the details and were only involving themselves for a chance to take the organization down, but it still made Luffy happy.

He pulled his hood further over his face as they exited the alleyway they'd been creeping through and emerged onto the brighter street. Izo, one of Whitebeard's men, had provided him with a bright red hoodie that was slightly too large but hid his still obvious features. It was also comfortable and helped calm his anxiety.

Luffy jolted in surprise when he got a good look at the street they stood on. The normally bustling road was shockingly empty. There wasn't a person in sight.

"Where is everyone?"

Sabo came up next to him and held a hand up to his ear.

"Can you hear it? The vampires are Humming."

Luffy frowned and allowed his ears to perk up underneath his hood. He listened hard and soon, he could make out a low droll. It was very soft but got louder the closer they got to their destination. Soon, the vibrations of the song could be felt through his sandals. It sounded a bit like a funeral dirge and the pitch was unnervingly steady, as if the singers never took a breath. Soon, their victims came into view.

He gaped as people seemingly in a trance walked towards groups of caped vampires who ushered them inside buildings and off the streets. Their eyes were devoid of spirit and they didn't fight the pale hands that gently grabbed them.

"Don't worry, they're perfectly safe." Sabo said as if sensing his concern, "Whitebeard asked them to do this so all the humans would be out of harm's way. They'll release them once the battle is over."

"Can't they do this to the Shikari?" He added while nervously sidling out of the way of a 'zombified' person crossing the road, "Y-You know, avoid fighting altogether."

"I wish it was that easy." Sabo replied with a sigh, "Unfortunately, most Shikari undergo training to resist a vampire's Hum. Even if an Elder joined in, it wouldn't be but momentarily effective."

Luffy went silent at that, frowning as more and more humans were led away. Though he knew it was for their own safety, it was still disturbing to watch.

Ahead of them, Marco held up a hand and motioned for their group to stop.

"Everyone get into position, yoi. It's almost time."

Luffy followed after Ace and Sabo, following the former's hand as he pointed out the building they were about to raid. It wasn't terribly tall or impressive, but it did smell strange. He crinkled his nose and felt his fur stand on end. What was that?

"…wolfsbane." Ace whispered as they ducked behind a nearby stone wall, "The Shikari plant it around their bases as a deterrent for lycan attacks."

"But then…how will we get in?"

"Apparently, the Whitebeards have a plan for that." Ace continued, sending Marco and Thatch an unconvinced look, "Once the plants are destroyed or removed or…whatever they have planned, that'll be our cue."

"We can't just hold our breath?"

Ace and Sabo chuckled at his answer.

"Unfortunately, wolfsbane is extremely toxic to our kind. It may just smell bad at this distance, but up close…it's physically painful. Like getting electrocuted."

"Oh." Luffy muttered, pouting a bit at their response, "Well nobody told me that."

"Sorry, sorry." Sabo put in with an amused grin, "Sometimes I forget how much you still have to learn about being a lycan."

"Yeah, so stay close." Ace added, smile dimming a bit as his gaze moved back to their target building, "We'll protect you."

Luffy's fingers curled into a fist at Ace's words. He hated that he was the one always being protected, but the reality was he just couldn't compete with the battle experience and strength of those who'd been lycans much longer than him. Even so, he was determined to be useful both to his new friends and to his father.

He glanced across the empty road to where Shanks and his men were crouched, catching the Alpha's eye briefly. The red-haired lycan had been against allowing him to come along, wanting Luffy to stay behind with Makino, but he'd adamantly refused. He wasn't going to be left out of a rescue mission for his family!

Luffy's muscles tightened in anticipation.

'I hope you're okay, Dad. We're coming for you!'

Meanwhile…

In a secluded office, a certain man tapped his pen on the stack of documents placed before him. He couldn't help but smirk as he read the name typed at the top: Monkey D. Dragon. The man had been nothing but a thorn in his side for too long, and now finally, he had cause to be rid of him once and for all.

Despite his subordinate's failure to capture Dragon's mutt, everything was falling into place and the trial was set to proceed as planned. He'd already ensured the 'jury' was on his side and would give a guilty verdict even if Garp tried to convince them otherwise.

'You put up a good fight, Dragon,' Akainu thought, smirk deepening, 'but it's over now.'

The bastard's bleeding heart wouldn't get in the way of his plans to eliminate the lycanthrope threat any longer!

Just as he was about to sign his name on the bottom of the document, his door slammed open.

"We have a situation, Sir!"

"Oh, this had better be good." Akainu growled, sending a dark look to his sweating subordinate. The man gulped nervously but managed a salute.

"M-My apologies for the interruption, Sir, but-but-"

"Spit it out!"

"There are vampires, Sir! They're everywhere!" Akainu's eyes widened. "T-They've started to Hum and almost half the city is affected!"

"What!?" He exclaimed, slamming a fist down on his desk, "What the hell is that bastard, Mihawk, doing? Get Shikari out there, now!"

"W-What about the trial?"

"It goes on as planned." Akainu continued while standing up and gathering the 'incriminating documents' he'd put together, "No interruptions, got it!?"

No one would stop him when he was so close to being rid of Monkey D. Dragon. Ever since that man had discovered his 'plot', as he called it, his efforts to protect mankind had been stifled significantly. But soon, very soon, he'd once again be free to do as he pleased.

And no creature would be safe.